1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to production and issuance of embossed and/or encoded identification cards and more specifically relates to an enterprise-wide system for providing centralized control and management for issuance of such identification cards.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Issuance of identification cards is a critical task in many commercial and other endeavors. Exemplary of such endeavors are credit card issuance, debit card issuance, frequent customer identification card issuance, security card issuance, etc. Such identification cards often include embossed identification information and or digitally encoded identification information. Such digitally encoded identification information may be recorded on the identification card in a magnetic stripe or other storage medium as well as in so-called “smartcard” chips embedded within the identification card.
Generation of such identification cards has long been the exclusive domain of complex, costly, large devices capable of both embossing the cards as well as programming digital identification information. In more recent years, devices for issuance of such identification cards have dramatically fallen in price as well as shrunken in physical size (“footprint”). For example, the model 150i embossing and encoding machine produced by DataCard Corp. of Minneapolis is a relatively low-cost device having a relatively small footprint (i.e., tabletop or desktop configuration). The DataCard 150i embossing and encoding machine is capable of producing such cards under control of an externally attached computing system such as a personal computer (“PC”).
Although older, larger devices were capable of producing much higher volumes of identification cards, the low-cost and small footprint of the DataCard 150i makes it possible to distribute such functions into more convenient localized facilities. Localized issuance of such identification cards is often referred to in the industry as “instant issuance.” The paradigm of instant issuance allows for an identification card to be made while the user or customer waits rather than waiting days or weeks for a centralized facility to produce such card and ship the produced card to the end user.
Although devices such as the DataCard 150i enable the decentralized issuance of identification cards, computing systems to permit such decentralized issuance of cards while maintaining centralized control of the information embossed and/or encoded on such cards were not available.
The computing system called CardWizard® was produced and marketed by Dynamic Solutions International of Colorado in 1997. This computing system is comprised of a collection of interrelated software components designed to work in a distributed client/server model within a single location. Although designed in accordance with a single location client/server software model, when applied to a broader multi-location enterprise environment, a number of problems arise in this and other current solutions.                1. Financial identification cards require usage of highly sensitive data used for encryption calculations that produce values that are embossed and encoded on identification cards. This data is referred to as “encryption keys.” To simplify software installation and provide greater security, large banking and other large financial enterprises prefer these encryption keys be stored at a single secured location within the network rather than at each location that has a card issuance machine. The original version of CardWizard®, like other present solutions, required these encryption keys to be stored at each location that had a card issuance machine.        2. Administration and management problems arise where an enterprise may have different capabilities at each of several decentralized locations. For example, a large financial institution may issue ATM cards in one location and debit cards in a different location. It is therefore important for enterprise solutions to be easily configured, administered and managed to permit production of identification cards to be performed at a most appropriate location.        3. Problems arise when decentralized locations, which cannot afford the cost of an issuance machine, wish to issue cards on an issuance machine located at another location within the network.        4. Problems arise when locations want card production requests stored in a queue that allows cards to be produced at a later time at either their location or another location within the enterprise.        5. Only a single card issuance machine is supported on a single PC.        6. Support of external software processes in lieu of card issuance machines was not available. For example, rather than producing the card immediately at a card machine, it may be desired to route the card information to another computer system on the network for some other type of processing.        7. Administration of card issuance machines, users, system access and production reporting and management of system options had to be done at each location rather than centrally.        8. There are duplicate databases throughout the network, which increases exposure to fraudulent activities and required more systems administration activities to synchronize or replicate updated information.        9. Having “self contained” card issuance systems at a single location presents the risk of someone stealing the equipment and potentially using it to make illegal financial cards.        
It is evident from the above discussion that a need exists for improved enterprise coordination in the production and issuance of embossed and/or encoded identification cards in a decentralized manner.